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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
tense
fast-paced
I had to bail on 'The Nest' at about the 50% mark. It's not that the book is bad. In fact, I dug it—until I didn't. It's a pretty good ripoff of 'Jaws' but with cockroaches instead of sharks, so naturally it's in my wheelhouse. However, after a few dozen pages of excruciating discussion about cockroaches in order to justify the plot, I just couldn't take it anymore. I lost my patience and put it down. I might come back to it later, but for now it's on the back burner.
I had no idea this would be as good as it was. So much cockroach violence and extreme gore alongside genuine characters. If the rest of the paperback from hell series is of this caliber then I'm in for a treat as I bought all 5 books. DO NOT HESITATE GETTING THIS BOOK
Can't quite keep up with it's gonzo first half but still an excellent example of the genre. A few slow sections with the author trying to explain away the chaos via science and an unnecessary love story are the only real faults.
I don't need a love story in this icky killer cockroach tale. The romance between the handcuffed naked man and the leaf pile was enough for me.....you'll just have to read it.
I don't need a love story in this icky killer cockroach tale. The romance between the handcuffed naked man and the leaf pile was enough for me.....you'll just have to read it.
Delightfully gory and a hell of a lot of fun! At its core, THE NEST is a man vs. nature horror story. The set-up is simple and familiar, mutant nature caused by man goes on the attack and chaos ensues. Douglas's writing is better than it needs to be and better than it should be for a B-movie horror novel, and it works. Sections will gross you out and I guarantee you'll feel phantom itches. THE NEST is a perfect summer-time read. Make sure you have a can of RAID handy... just in case.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
THE NEST makes up for hollow characters with a healthy splattering of enjoyable gore and mayhem.
I know the point of these paperbacks from hell is that they are kinda bad, but this is not bad in like a fun way. And it wasn’t scary.
It’s dated and it feels dated. There’s rampant misogyny, casual racism/othering of anyone non-white, a horrible case of insta…marriage?! (were the 70s/80s really like that? People getting married that fast?) and some fatphobia.
That being said… I was somewhat surprised it wasn’t worse? So if you are interested in this book I wouldn’t let those things put you off on their own.
I didn’t realize this was about cockroaches when I picked it up. I didn’t find it remotely believable or scary (believability is not always necessary for me but if we’re going to add the science in to make it seem believable, then it should accomplish that and it didn’t). There’s a lot of science and biology info I absolutely did not need. I think the pacing was okay, but there was no build up to the horror. And I think the book favored the cheap emotional shots rather than working to actually scare the reader in any meaningful way (killing off characters that you’d have to be a sociopath not to feel bad about).
I am going to keep reading some of the paperbacks from hell in hopes I strike upon the campy goldmines I’m looking for, but this just wasn’t it for me.
It’s dated and it feels dated. There’s rampant misogyny, casual racism/othering of anyone non-white, a horrible case of insta…marriage?! (were the 70s/80s really like that? People getting married that fast?) and some fatphobia.
That being said… I was somewhat surprised it wasn’t worse? So if you are interested in this book I wouldn’t let those things put you off on their own.
I didn’t realize this was about cockroaches when I picked it up. I didn’t find it remotely believable or scary (believability is not always necessary for me but if we’re going to add the science in to make it seem believable, then it should accomplish that and it didn’t). There’s a lot of science and biology info I absolutely did not need. I think the pacing was okay, but there was no build up to the horror. And I think the book favored the cheap emotional shots rather than working to actually scare the reader in any meaningful way (killing off characters that you’d have to be a sociopath not to feel bad about).
I am going to keep reading some of the paperbacks from hell in hopes I strike upon the campy goldmines I’m looking for, but this just wasn’t it for me.
Best (and only) killer mutant cockroach book I've ever read.
Best (and only) killer mutant cockroach book I've ever read.
Lectura aprovechando la reciente publicación en español de Paperbacks from Hell y la edición de algunos de los libros por parte de Valancourt. Para empezar la colección eligieron The Nest, una novela en la estela de Las ratas de James Herbert. Esto es, bichos comiéndose gente. Pero en vez de ratas en Londres, aquí tenemos cucarachas mutantes en una isla de la costa este de Estados Unidos.
El resultado es una mezcla curiosa de gore con pasajes que muestran que Eli Cantor, tras el pseudónimo de Gregory A. Williams, se había leído algún libro de biología. Hay de hecho una sucesión de capítulos, cortos como los del resto del libro, en la parte central de la historia que son básicamente dos personajes, científicos, contando cosas sobre termitas y cucarachas durante una buena cantidad de páginas.
Cierto es que se lee bien, pero al final no deja de ser una sucesión de ataques salvajes de cucarachas y de texto expositivo. Además tiene el problema de no saber cerrar el libro, haciendo que la parte final se haga casi ridícula, con un falso final que no engaña a nadie, una resolución de la historia romántica bastante lamentable.
Es famosa por algunos momentos muy locos, incluyendo sobre todo uno en el que un personaje masculino, literalmente, se masturba con la ayuda del suelo de la isla... gratuito es poco. No abundan tampoco, pero cuando los hay es imposible no reírse un rato. A cambio, compensa con mucha sangre y muchas muertes crueles, aunque en general las descripciones no varían demasiado, con una obsesión malsana por los ojos.
Resumiendo, una novela entretenida, que se lee de dos sentadas pero que muestra sus defectos tan claramente que es imposible ignorarlos. Café para muy cafeteros con estómagos fuertes.
El resultado es una mezcla curiosa de gore con pasajes que muestran que Eli Cantor, tras el pseudónimo de Gregory A. Williams, se había leído algún libro de biología. Hay de hecho una sucesión de capítulos, cortos como los del resto del libro, en la parte central de la historia que son básicamente dos personajes, científicos, contando cosas sobre termitas y cucarachas durante una buena cantidad de páginas.
Cierto es que se lee bien, pero al final no deja de ser una sucesión de ataques salvajes de cucarachas y de texto expositivo. Además tiene el problema de no saber cerrar el libro, haciendo que la parte final se haga casi ridícula, con un falso final que no engaña a nadie, una resolución de la historia romántica bastante lamentable.
Es famosa por algunos momentos muy locos, incluyendo sobre todo uno en el que un personaje masculino, literalmente, se masturba con la ayuda del suelo de la isla... gratuito es poco. No abundan tampoco, pero cuando los hay es imposible no reírse un rato. A cambio, compensa con mucha sangre y muchas muertes crueles, aunque en general las descripciones no varían demasiado, con una obsesión malsana por los ojos.
Resumiendo, una novela entretenida, que se lee de dos sentadas pero que muestra sus defectos tan claramente que es imposible ignorarlos. Café para muy cafeteros con estómagos fuertes.